Otis Books is pleased to publish Tim Erickson’s debut collection of poetry, Egopolis, a textual journey through destruction, resistance, city, and the Ego, from ancient times to the present day. Erickson’s work has appeared in the Chicago Review, Western Humanities Review, and the Salt Anthology of New Writing. He lives in Salt Lake City.

Exquisite Beauty is the first retrospective and publication to document the eye-dazzling ceramics created by Ralph Bacerra (1938–2008), a Los Angeles–based artist known for his innovative approach to surface embellishment. Curated by Jo Lauria, the exhibition features more than ninety of the artist’s finest pieces—dramatic, highly decorated vessels and sculptures that have never before been the focus of a major exhibition or publication.

David Treuer is an Ojibwe Indian from Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota and currently teaches at USC. He is the author of the novels Little, The Hiawatha, The Translation of Dr. Apelles, named a Best Book of the Year by the Washington Post, as well as a critical work, Native American Fiction: A User's Manual. In 2012, he published another nonfiction work, Rez Life.

Angela Flournoy’s first novel The Turner House was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her fiction has appeared in TheParis Review, and she has written for The New Republic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. Flournoy has taught at the University of Iowa and Trinity Washington University. She lives in Los Angeles.

Susan Choi’s first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction, and her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize. Her most recent novel, A Person of Interest, was a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award. With David Remnick she co-edited the anthology Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker. A recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation, and in 2010, the inaugural winner of the PEN/W.G. Sebald Award, Choi lives in Brooklyn.

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The Local and Regional Field Trip Policy covers local field trips, local overnight field trips, and short regional overnight field trips in the U.S. This policy also applies to courses with regular off-campus meetings at museums, field sites, or other destinations. Student Affairs outings are exempt from this policy.

POLICY

In order to ensure that field trips fall within the scope of a course’s and the College’s mission and that student safety issues are fully addressed, field trips must be authorized in advance and be fully documented through the on-time submission of the forms listed below. All field trips must be led by a faculty or staff member, and student participants must adhere to field trip guidelines. Leader responsibilities and guidelines for students are described below. The entire policy PDF version can be download.

FORMS AND SUBMISSION DATES

All originals should be submitted to the Department for safekeeping and held for three years. For all overnight trips, submit a copy of the Field Trip Roster to the Provost Office prior to trip departure.

A field trip is defined as any academic activity that requires student travel, serves educational purposes, and/or occurs off-campus, where the “campus” is defined as any Otis locations, including the Goldsmith Campus, CalMart, the 18th Street Art Center, and the Culver City Studios. For the purposes of this policy, there are three types of field trips:

Local Field Trip – Non-overnight domestic travel normally within 100 miles of an Otis location

Local Overnight Field Trip – Domestic travel normally within 100 miles of an Otis location with up to three nights’ stay

Regional Overnight Field Trip – Domestic travel within 1400 miles of an Otis location and up to four nights’ stay

Travel Study Programs, which involve international travel or domestic travel beyond the parameters of a field trip as described above, are covered under other policies, click here. Please contact the Center for International Education at International@otis.edu or (310) 665-6994 for more information about Travel Study Programs.

LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Leader on a field trip will vary by location and activity but may include the following:

Leader: Either the faculty member or some other responsible College official designated by the faculty member must accompany all field trips. Non-faculty “Trip Leaders” must be approved by the Provost’s Office. While Teaching Assistants or similarly designated College employees may participate in field trips, a Teaching Assistant is not an appropriate Leader for such a trip.

Site Visit: Whenever practical, the site of the field trip should be visited in advance by the Leader or an appropriate College official to evaluate and, through planning, to minimize potential risks. The site visit can be bypassed if the Leader can demonstrate and document sufficient knowledge of the field trip site. This could be accomplished by reviewing online, published materials, or contacting the site to discuss the visit.

Students with Disabilities, & Title IX: Any student who is enrolled in a field trip may potentially need special accommodations. Such students should speak as soon as possible with Dr. Carol Branch, Director, Student Resources Center (SRC) & Title IX Coordinator, for information and assistance. Students addressing sexual harassment/sexual violence concerns should seek assistance from our Title IX Coordinator. The SRC is located on the first floor of Ahmanson Hall. Contact information is cbranch@otis.edu or (310) 846-2554.

Student Preparation: Students must be thoughtfully and thoroughly prepared before departure. The Leader must convene students in order to:

Review conduct rules.

Ensure that students know when and where they are to meet upon arrival and throughout the trip.

Review the detailed day-to-day instructional agenda, which should include a general itinerary associated with the trip. One copy of the itinerary should be sent to the Department responsible for the course.

Inform participants of field trip costs, including deposit amount and payment deadlines.

Discuss with the students the nature of the activities during the field trip, including any inherent hazards, strenuous activity, or unusual activity that might take place. Account for and provide for an alternate assignment for students unwilling to accept the risk of participation in a field trip or an activity scheduled on the agenda for said trip.

When leading group trips, Leaders must carry emergency contact information and the authorization for emergency medical treatment (language in the Waiver of Liability) for each participant.

Carry a charged cell phone for the duration of the trip or provide a detailed list of how and when you can be reached.

Be the contact person for students, Otis staff, and parents.

Monitor travel conditions.

Manage student behavior issues.

In case of an accident: Immediately phone 911 in all cases involving serious injury or death, multiple injuries, or extensive property damage. Your first priority is to care for any injured individuals.

6. Otis Driver Policy: If you are planning to drive a vehicle to transport students on your field trip you must obtain permission from the Environmental Health & Saftey Manager, Peter Zaretskiy. Contact information, 310-846-2609. The approval process will take approximately four weeks. All necessary forms needed for approval can be found at the bottom of this page.

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS

Students participating in field trips are expected to adhere to the same standards of behavior as published in The Hoot and in the Travel Study Behavior Code of Conduct. Any violation of the regulations or local, state, or federal laws may result in disciplinary action or sanctions by the College.

Students, who choose to travel to the site of a field trip early, or remain at the site after the planned activity is completed, or who separate from the group, do so at their own risk.

Students are responsible for carrying their own personal medication while on a field trip.